Tuesday night was one of the most important games of the season for the Colorado Eagles as they battled the Ontario Reign (LAK). Colorado came into the contest trailing Ontario by only one point in the standings with four games left after this game. If they win this game, it will give them a chance to win the division and get a first-round bye in the playoffs. If they lose the game, it would give Ontario a two-point or three-point lead, depending on the outcome. Colorado dragged it out to overtime, but would ultimately fail to win, dropping the game 2–1. Making their path to a first-round bye that much more difficult.

First Period

The Eagles played a great puck-possession game in the opening period against the Reign. Regrettably, they failed to score. It did, however, lead to a couple of excellent chances in front of the Ontario net. The game opened with both the Eagles and Reign exchanging shots for a couple of minutes. Halfway through the period, Henry Brzustewicz tackled an Eagles player, drawing an interference penalty. Colorado’s power-play chance yielded only one notable shot on goal, courtesy of Danil Gushchin. Colorado and Ontario enter intermission with no score.

Second Period

The middle frame became a little more exciting with the Eagles getting a lot more chances on the Reign net. Colorado almost doubled the amount of shots they had from the first period, thanks to a successful power-play late in the period. Trent Miner stood strong in the Colorado crease, stopping all 13 shots faced. But Alex Barré-Boulet led the momentum change with less than 10 minutes to go, hitting the post. Westminster, Colorado native Jack Millar headed to the box for the Reign with 5:45 remaining in the second. Then, the Eagles excelled at controlling the puck. Gushchin gathered a rebound and sent the pass up to Jack Ahcan at the top of the slot. A snapshot ripped by Ahcan navigated traffic, eventually finding its place in the back of the net. It was the first power-play goal for Colorado in five games.

Third Period

Ontario quickly found a weakness while Colorado tried to kill a penalty early third period. Actually, it only took 27 seconds for the Reign to see a chance. Former DU Pios’ captain Cole Guttman gathered the rebound and sent a pass to a wide-open Martin Chromiak in the right circle to tie the game at one. Colorado threw away a pair of power-play chances that could have put them in front.

As the game headed into overtime, Colorado lost the opening faceoff. This gave the Ontario an advantage with the puck, and they took the only shot on goal needed to win the game 17 seconds into the extra frame. The Reign came away victorious with the 2–1 win and the vital extra point in the standings.

Takeaways

Colorado converted on the power play for the first time in five games, ending a 0-for-13 streak. Unfortunately, after that they fell flat once again on the man advantage. They could have locked the game away in the third period, but let the game slip away in overtime. Of their six overtime losses this season, I am pretty sure four or five of them have ended on one shot. The Eagles need to win the all-important first faceoff in the extra frame, and they can’t seem to do it. They gained a point out of the game, but Ontario now leads by two points with four games to go. Colorado will now have to win all its remaining games to hope for a chance at taking the division lead.

Up Next

The Eagles now head home to finish out the regular season with their four remaining games. They take on the Tucson Roadrunners (UTA) this Friday and Saturday, April 10th and 11th. Fridays game will be broadcast on The Spot Denver (channel 3) and both games will be available on AHLTV on FloHockey.com.